placeholderfandomcom-20200213-history
Hamlet
Hamlet is the title character in Shakespeare's most famous tragedy of the same name. He is a man of thoughts, as opposed to some of Shakespeare's more adventerous protagonists such as Macbeth, a man of action. Hamlet uses his words and thoughts as opposed to actions to accomplish his purposes throughout the play. This results in yet more trouble than had he simply acted in the first place. Hamlet's assumingly feigned madness is a part of his overly elaborate revenge plan for his uncle, Claudius. He uses his words in a persuasive manner, manipulating those he supposedly cares for, and ultimately resulting in multiple deaths. T.S. Eliot describes Hamlet's apparent behavioral issues as a form of inconsistancy, a lack of structure, which is a possible explanation for the title character's use of manipulation with lack of direction: "... the Elizabethans committed faults and muddled their conventions. In their plays there are faults of inconsistency, faults of incoherency, faults of taste, there are nearly everywhere faults of carelessness. But their great weakness is the same weakness as that of modern drama, it is the lack of convention ... Shakespeare, like all his contemporaries, was aiming in more than one direction" (1980, p.111). Ophelia Hamlet's abysmal treatment of Ophelia, whom he has presumably been in a relationship with for a period of time, is an apparent punishment of her father Polonius for supporting Hamlet's uncle in such a direct way. Their relationship becomes strained, to say the least, as Hamlet becomes more and more obsessed with revenge upon his uncle and mother. The treatment results in Ophelia slipping into madness, described as such: "... speaks things in doubt That carry but half sense. Her speech is nothing, Yet the unshaped use of it doth move The hearers to collection." (''IV. v. 6-9) He appears to love her, hate her, back and forth, causing her great emotional strain and confusion, ultimately resulting in her imminent push to insanity and suicide. '''Gertrude' Hamlet is unkind, bordering on cruel towards his mother Gertrude throughout the play; despite the warnings of his apparant father's Ghost telling him not to blame her for the situation. Gertrude, although admitably in the wrong, loses not only her husband but her son too, as he detaches himself in anger and resentment. When they do speak, he speaks to her curtly or harshly, forcing her to choose an alliance to either himself or Claudius, and her queenship. Eventually Hamlet is summoned to her chambers, and Hamlet corners her; shouting at Gertrude and pushing the blame and accompanying anger he has felt on to her, crushing her; "O speak to me no more. These words like daggers enter in my ears." ''(III. iv. 94-95) '''Rosencrantz and Guildenstern' Hamlet's lack of action and weird, prolonged revenge plan involving pretended madness results in Claudius calling in two school friends of Hamlet's: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Had Hamlet acted in the beginning, the two would never have been involved at all. As it is, they had no choice in the matter, as they could not disobey a pretty much direct order from the King of Denmark, asking them to spy on Hamlet. This leads to Hamlet, the self-centred and obsessed person he is, to trick them to their deaths, when they were only acting on duty, not malice. SOURCE "Canadian Social Science." Manifestation of Derridian DiffÃ©rance in Shakespeare's ''Hamlet. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2012. .'